…a better tomorrow…

Things Typo taught me this week

What an interesting week it’s turned out to be, far more so than I would have guessed.

After a week of ignoring customer complaints – including mine – Typo have finally, happily, emailed me. A spokesperson from their parent company, Cotton On Group, said:

“I can confirm we are undertaking a voluntarily withdrawal of the below products-

Campus A5 notebook / BULLSEYE

Iphone sticker / BULLSEYE

Get Mugged / BULLSEYE

Canvas Print 50x / BULLSEYE

The traveller / DIRTY

Canvas print 40x / DIRTY

Campus A4 Notebook / DIRTY

I Fone Phasion / DIRTY

Wall Graphic A4 / PORN IS MY SAVIOUR

The traveller / PORN IS MY SAVIOUR

By withdrawal we mean the product will be removed from shelves and returned to our distribution centres. This product will not be made available for sale.”

Thank you Typo and Cotton On.

However, it was with disappointment that I read their official response.

They said, “..Typo is reviewing its buying and merchandising policies in order to be more sensitive to the fact that children may be present in our stores. Parents should be aware that our products will still be designed with a young adult audience in mind.”

I wish that Cotton On had acknowledged that labelling women ‘dirty’ and ‘entertainment for men’ is never ok, whether you’re a young adult or even a not so young adult.

So what has Typo taught me this week?

I learnt that social media and passionate people is a powerful combination – even more so than I previously thought. I was stunned to see my article – Dear eight year old girl. I saw you in Typo – get over 34,000 hits in two days because people shared it on Facebook and twitter.

I learnt that there really are wonderful men and women in the world who are willing to speak out against the objectification of women. Thanks to each and every one of you. Spoil yourself this weekend. You deserve it. You make the world a better place!

Lastly, in the middle of all this, I was thinking about how I much prefer to be feeding people through my charity than speaking out against degrading images and labelling of women. I wanted to be actively doing good, rather than resisting what was bad. Almost immediately, I realised that they’re exactly the same thing. Just two sides of the same coin.

Who would have thought that a stationery shop could have taught me that?

Thank you Ruth for taking the time to put words to “paper” and thanks also to Cotton On. Whilst they may not have admitted their products were degrading to women, removing them is one powerful step in the right direction.